A late 19th century gold signet ring, engraved with crest and motto, stamped ‘18CT’, ring size M-N. £600-£800

The crest is from the von Dadelszen family with motto ‘Per Ardua Surgam’, translating as ‘Through trials I shall rise’.

This crest, now used by the New Zealand branch of the family, may well have been derived from the German family Stoppel, originating in the early 17th century, and consisting of three golden ears of corn standing upright on a stubble field. In medieval times ‘stoppeln’ was a common word for raking or collecting field crops. (Stoppel translates as ‘stubble’ in German). The Stoppels were Lutheran protestants so the three ears could be the symbol of the Lutheran motto “loyal - firm - true”.

The first appearance of the Stoppel surname in the Von Dadelszen family appeared with the marriage of Michael David von Dadelszen (1760-1831) to Christina Dorothea Stoppel. Numerous other members of the Stoppel family married into the Von Dadelszen family.

The Von Dadelszen name was first recorded circa 1520 in Stade, a small town 50 miles from Hamburg. Changes occurred to the spelling over the centuries - between 1655-1688 changing from van Dalen to von Dahlern; around 1688, from von Dahlern to von Dadelsen, and in the second half of 18th century, one part of the family changed the name to von Dadelszen.

On 27 January 1860, Edward von Dadelszen is recorded as sailing from Liverpool, bound for Auckland, New Zealand, with his two surviving sons and five daughters, two years after the death of his wife, Mary Jane Evans. The descendants of the New Zealand branch of the family have comprehensively researched the family history from 1520 to the present day (15 generations).

See website: wwww.knowledgebank.org.nz